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Chinese architecture

The flexible proportions of the gable-end framework of struts and beams, vertical rise and horizontal span, permits the roof to take any profile desired, typically a low and rather straight silhouette in northern China before the Song dynasty (960–1279) and increasingly elevated and concave in the Song, Yuan (1206–1368), Ming…

description

…of a ridge-roofed structure, or gable end, usually has straight sides, follows the roof’s slope, and is often bounded by the roof’s overhanging eaves. If the gable end projects above the roof level to form a parapet, however, its silhouette may be one of many types—such as the crowstepped, catstepped,…